Method and Electronic Device for a Simplified Integration of High Precision Thinfilm Resistors

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a method of manufacturing an integrated circuit. An electrically resistive layer of a material for serving as a thin film resistor (TFR) is deposited. A first electrically insulating layer is deposited on the electrically resistive layer of the TFR. An electrically conductive layer of an electrically conductive material is deposited. An area is left without the conductive layer and the area overlaps the electrically resistive layer of the TFR. A second electrically insulating layer is deposited on top of the conductive layer. A first VIA opening is etched through the second insulating layer, the area without the conductive layer adjacent to the electrically conductive layer and through the first insulating layer down to the electrically resistive layer of the TFR. A conductive material is deposited in the first VIA opening so as to electrically connect the conductive layer and the electrically resistive layer of the TFR.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a method for integrating a high precision thinfilm resistor (TFR) and an electronic device with a high precision thinfilm resistor.

BACKGROUND

Existing methods and electronic devices employ up to 3 additional masklevels in order to integrate high precision thin film resistors (TFRs)having sufficient accuracy and matching characteristics.

FIG. 11 is a simplified schematic of an integrated circuit with a thinfilm resistor which is manufactured according to the prior art. The thinresistive layer of the TFR is embedded in an insulating IMDn−1 layer andis connected to a conductive METn layer with shallow VIAs referred to asTFVIA. The shallow connection adds only a low parasitic value to theresistance of the TFR. A deeper VIAn connects the METn layer to theMETn−1 layer of the circuit interconnection. Due to the sensitivity ofthe thin resistive layer to overetching, two separate photo- and etchingsequences are used for the shallow TFVIA and the deeper VIAn. Thismethod requires at least 2 additional mask levels in the BEOL process tointegrate the TFR.

However, any additional mask level renders the process flow more complexand expensive. Solutions using fewer mask levels either result in lowerresistor performance or in an interact with the baseline interconnectprocesses. Thin film resistors are usually made of NiCr or SiCr alloysand they are typically located between two consecutive metallizationlevels. In order to prevent erosion of the thin resistor film duringtypical etching processes while at the same time providing a shallowconnection with low parasitic resistance, either a separate thin filmresistor head or a separate thin film VIA or both are usually provided.

SUMMARY

It is an object of the invention to provide a method and an electronicdevice with a thin film resistor using less mask levels than prior artmethods and electronic devices for implementing the thin film resistorand achieving the same matching and parasitic characteristics.

According to an aspect of the invention, a method of manufacturing anintegrated circuit is provided. A thin electrically resistive layer of amaterial for serving as a thin film resistor (TFR) is deposited andstructured. Further, a first electrically insulating layer is depositedon top of the electrically resistive layer of the TFR. An electricallyconductive layer of an electrically conductive material is deposited ontop of the first electrically insulating layer. An area that overlapsthe electrically resistive layer of the TFR is left free from theconductive layer. A second electrically insulating layer is deposited ontop of the first insulating layer and conductive layer. A first VIAopening is etched through the second insulating layer and through thearea without the conductive layer. The first VIA opening is providedadjacent to the electrically conductive layer and through the firstinsulating layer down to the electrically resistive layer of the TFR. Aconductive material is deposited in the first VIA opening so as toelectrically connect the conductive layer and the electrically resistivelayer of the TFR. This aspect of the invention provides that theconnection between the conductive layer and the resistive layer of theTFR is short although the VIA is comparably deep. The parasitics of theinterconnection between the conductive layer and the resistive layer ofthe TFR are therefore rather small. In this way, the resistor film isburied within a pre-metal dielectric (PMD) or inter-metal dielectric(IMD) level underneath but close to a metallization level (MET). Thethickness of the first insulating layer between the resistor film andthe first conductive layer may then be designed and implemented as thinas possible but still strong enough to survive metal overetchoxide-loss. The resistive layer may not immediately be connected to theconductive layer by a shallow and specific thin film resistor VIA.Instead of using a separate thin film resistor VIA, slotted metalconnection pads may be designed into the first conductive layer suchthat a slot or opening in the first conductive layer can be aligned withrespect to the resistive layer of the TFR.

According to an aspect of the invention, a second VIA opening may beetched through the second insulating layer for connecting the conductivelayer. The same single mask may then be used for the first VIA openingand the second VIA opening. This provides that only a single mask can beused for two different types of VIAs. The first VIA may reach throughthe first and the second insulating layer and the conductive layer,while the second VIA may only reach to the conductive layer. The secondVIA opening may then be shallower than the first VIA opening. However,the connection between the conductive layer and the resistive layer ofthe TFR can be kept as short as necessary.

In an embodiment of the invention, a width of the first VIA openingabove the conductive layer may be greater than a width of the opening(also referred to as a slot) through the conductive layer. This providesthat process of connecting the second VIA to the conductive layer andthe resistive layer of the TFR is self aligning.

The conductive layer may be designed to withstand the etching process.The conductive layer is inherently more stable and resistant to theetching process than the resistive layer of the TFR but specificparameters may be adjusted to ensure that it withstands the etchingprocess. In an aspect of the invention, an etch stop layer may bedeposited on top of the conductive layer. Compared with conventionalmethods, the invention shifts the problem of erosion during the etchingprocess from the resistive layer of the TFR to the conductive layer.

According to another aspect of the invention, the width of the first VIAmay be greater than the width of the resistive layer of the TFR. Thisaspect of the invention provides that the resistive layer of the TFR canbe connected to the conductive layer over its full width which decreasesparasitic resistance.

According to another aspect of the invention, an electronic device maybe provided. The electronic device may have a first VIA reaching througha first insulating layer and a second insulating layer and a conductivelayer between the first insulating layer and the second insulating layerfor connecting a resistive layer of a TFR with the conductive layer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Further aspects and characteristics of the invention will ensue from thefollowing description of preferred embodiments of the invention withreference to the accompanying drawings, wherein

FIG. 1 is a simplified schematic of a stage of manufacture of anintegrated circuit having a thin film resistor according to anembodiment of the invention from a view parallel to the length of theTFR;

FIG. 2 is a simplified schematic of the stage of manufacture shown inFIG. 1 from a view perpendicular to the length of the TFR;

FIG. 3 is a simplified schematic of a stage of manufacture of anintegrated circuit having a thin film resistor according to anembodiment of the invention from a view parallel to the length of theTFR;

FIG. 4 is a simplified schematic of the stage of manufacture shown inFIG. 3 from a view perpendicular to the length of the TFR;

FIG. 5 is a simplified schematic of a stage of manufacture of anintegrated circuit having a thin film resistor according to anembodiment of the invention from a view parallel to the length of theTFR;

FIG. 6 is a simplified schematic of the stage of manufacture shown inFIG. 5 from a view perpendicular to the length of the TFR;

FIG. 7 is a simplified schematic of a stage of manufacture of anintegrated circuit having a thin film resistor according to anembodiment of the invention from a view parallel to the length of theTFR;

FIG. 8 is a simplified schematic of the stage of manufacture shown inFIG. 7 from a view perpendicular to the length of the TFR;

FIG. 9 is a simplified schematic of a stage of manufacture of anintegrated circuit having a thin film resistor according to anembodiment of the invention from a view parallel to the length of theTFR;

FIG. 10 is a simplified schematic of the stage of manufacture shown inFIG. 18 from a view perpendicular to the length of the TFR;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional diagram of a prior art TFR.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 show simplified schematics of top views (upperpart) and corresponding cross sections (lower part) of consecutive stepsof stages of manufacture of an electronic device according to aspects ofthe invention. FIGS. 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 show simplified schematics of topviews (upper part) and corresponding cross sections (lower part) of thesteps shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9, respectively, but from a viewperpendicular to the length of the TFR.

FIG. 1 shows a simplified schematic of a stage of manufacture of anintegrated circuit according to an embodiment of the invention from aview parallel to the length of the TFR. The corresponding top view andcross-sections of FIG. 1 are shown in FIG. 2. A metal layer METn−1 orsilicide layer is arranged in an inter-metal dielectric IMDn−1 or apre-metal dielectric PMD. The upper part of the drawing shows a top viewon a section of the electronic device while the lower part shows thecorresponding cross-section. The cross-section of relates to the lineconnecting points A and B. The length of the TFR is LTFR and the widthis WTFR.

FIG. 2 shows a simplified schematic of the same stage of manufactureshown in but from a view perpendicular to the length of the TFR which isindicated by the lines connecting points D and C and F and E. The upperpart is a top view on the integrated circuit and the lower part across-section relating to the dashed lines connecting points C and D andE and F, respectively.

A resistive layer TFR (for example of an alloy like NiCr, NiCrAI orSiCr) is deposited and etched on top of the insulating layer IMDn−1/PMDand structured by conventional photolithographic steps. Anotherinsulating layer is deposited on top of the TFR layer and the insulatinglayer IMDn−1/PMD. The TFR layer is now embedded in two insulating layersIMDn−1 and IMDn.

FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 show a further manufacturing step of the electronicdevice according to an embodiment of the invention from a view parallelto the length of the TFR from the two respective angles explained withrespect to the previous figures. In this manufacturing step, a shallowVIA VIAn−1 (second VIA type) is etched through the insulating layer IMDnand IMDn−1/PMD in order to connect the conductive layer METn−1 or thesilicide in the insulating layer IMDn−1/PMD.

A further conductive layer METn is deposited on top of the insulatinglayer IMDn. Furthermore, an etch stop layer is deposited on top of theconductive layer METn. A specific area CA is left free of the conductivelayer METn. The area CA, which may also be referred to as a slot or anopening in the conductive layer METn is arranged above the resistivelayer of the TFR. In other words, in the top views shown in the upperparts of FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the area CA is arranged to overlap theresistive layer TFR. TFVIA may have a greater diameter LTFVIA in theslot CA where it passes through the conductive layer METn than the widthWTFR of the TFR in order to provide a self-aligned process. The etchstop layer may be of TiN. The thickness of the etch stop layer mayadvantageously be chosen such that it can withstand a deep VIA overetch.The slotted metal connecting pad frame (CA) is designed into the metallevel METn and aligned to the resistor film TFR underneath. The openingCA in the metal pad defines the connecting region for the resistor filmTFR. If LTFVIA is greater than WTFR the connection area is maximum andtherefore optimized.

FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 show a further step of manufacture of the electronicdevice according to an embodiment of the invention from a view parallelto the length of the TFR. A further inter-metal dielectric IMDn+1 isdeposited on top of the conductive layer METn (having the etch stoplayer on top) and the inter-metal dielectric IMDn. A pattern (maskinglayer), for example with a photoresist PR is formed on top of theinsulating layer IMDn+1. The pattern provides openings for deep VIAsTFVIA and shallow VIAs VIAn. The deep VIAs TFVIA are also referred to asthe first VIAs in the context of the invention and the shallow VIAs VIAnare also referred to as the second VIAs. A single mask mayadvantageously be used for both types of VIAs, the deep VIAs TFVIA andthe shallow VIAs VIAn. The shallow VIAs VIAn are designed to connect theconductive layer METn with an upper level, while the deep VIAs TFVIA areprovided to reach through the insulating layer IMDn+1 and to connect theconductive layer METn with the resistive layer TFR. The diameter DVIA ofthe opening of the second VIA TFIA above the slot CA is greater than thediameter LTFVIA of the slot CA. This supports self-alignment of theinterconnections. The diameter LTFVIA of the slot is greater than thediameter WTFR of the TFR. This supports optimized connection to the TFRwith minimum resistance.

In FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the process of etching the VIAs VIAn and TFVIA isshown. In a first etching step, all VIAs VIAn and TFVIA are etched tothe level of the etch stop layer on top of the conductive layer METn. Inthe second step shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the deep VIAs TFVIA areetched from the level of the etch stop layer through the conductivelayer METn, the insulating layer IMDn+1 and IMDn down to the resistivelayer TFR. FIG. 8 shows that the diameter LTFVIA of the deep VIAs TFVIAis greater than the width WTFR of the TFR. This provides that theconnection to the TFR spans more than the whole width WTFR of the TFRand therefore ensures that the resistance of the connection isminimized. The deep VIAs TFVIA are self-aligned to the resistor TFR bythe slotted connections (areas CA) in the conductive layer METn.

FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 show a further manufacturing step in which thephotoresist PR is already removed. This step is referred to as VIA fill(also referred to as VIA plug fill). Tungsten (W) may be deposited inorder to fill the VIAs (deep TFVIA and shallow VIAn) with a conductivematerial. The W- deposition is adjusted according to aspects of theinvention in order to fill also the wider VIAs TFVIA. VIAs VIAn andTFVIA are filled with a conductive material in order to connect theresistive layer TFR with the conductive layer METn and to connect theconductive layer METn to the upper surface of the insulating layerIMDn+1. A CMP step may follow the step of filling the VIAs.

A further conductive layer METn+1 is deposited on top of the insulatinglayer IMDn+1 in order to connect the conductive material in the VIAsVIAn and TFVIA. Therefore, the resistive layer of the TFR (i.e. the thinfilm resistor TFR) can be connected to the top conductive layer METn+1.Furthermore, the conductive layer METn may be connected to the topconductive layer METn+1.

Although the invention has been described hereinabove with reference toa specific embodiment, it is not limited to this embodiment and no doubtfurther alternatives will occur to the skilled person that lie withinthe scope of the invention as claimed. For example, a slot CA inconductive layer METn may be used at both ends of the TFR instead ofonly one end as shown in the Figures.

1. A method of manufacturing an integrated circuit, the methodcomprising: depositing and structuring an electrically resistive layerof a material for serving as a thin film resistor (TFR), depositing afirst electrically insulating layer on the electrically resistive layerof the TFR, depositing a first conductive layer of an electricallyconductive material, leaving an area without the first conductive layeroverlapping the electrically resistive layer of the TFR, depositing asecond electrically insulating layer on top of the first conductivelayer, etching a first VIA opening through the second insulating layer,the area without the first conductive layer adjacent to the electricallyconductive layer and through the first insulating layer down to theelectrically resistive layer of the TFR, and depositing a conductivematerial in the first VIA opening to form a first via that electricallyconnects the first conductive layer and the electrically resistive layerof the TFR.
 2. The method according to claim 1, further comprisingetching a second VIA opening through the second insulating layer forconnecting the conductive layer and using the same single mask for thefirst VIA opening and the second VIA opening.
 3. The method according toclaim 1, wherein a width of the first VIA opening adjacent to theelectrically conductive layer is greater than a width of the first VIAopening within the electrically conductive layer.
 4. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising depositing an etch stop layeron top of the conductive layer.
 5. The method according to claim 1,wherein a diameter of the first VIA is greater than a width of theresistive layer of the TFR.
 6. The method according to claim 2, furthercomprising the step of forming a second conductive layer over the secondinsulating layer wherein the first VIA connects the second conductivelayer to the resistive layer of the TFR and the second VIA openingconnects the second conductive layer to the first conductive layer.
 7. Amethod of manufacturing an integrated circuit, the method comprising:forming a first metal interconnect layer METn−1; forming a firstinsulating layer over METn−1; forming a resistive layer of a thin filmresistor TFR embedded within the first insulating layer; forming asecond metal interconnect layer METn over the first insulating layer,the second metal interconnect layer METn having a space withoutconductive material overlying a portion of the TFR; forming a secondinsulating layer over METn; forming a masking layer over the secondinsulating layer; using said masking layer, forming both a first VIAopening and a second VIA opening, wherein the first VIA opening extendsthrough the second insulating layer, the space without conductivematerial in METn, and the first insulating layer to the resistive layerof TFR and the second VIA opening extends through the second insulatinglayer to METn; filling the first VIA opening and the second VIA openingwith a conductive material to form a first VIA and a second VIA,respectively; and forming a third metal interconnect layer METn+1,wherein the first VIA connects METn+1 to the resistive layer of TFR andthe second VIA connects METn+1 to METn.
 8. An integrated circuit device,comprising: a first metal interconnect layer, METn−1; a first insulatinglayer over METn−1 a resistive layer of a thin film resistor (TFR)embedded within the first insulating layer; a second metal interconnectlayer, METn, over the first insulating layer such that the resistivelayer of the TFR is between METn−1 and METn, wherein METn has a slotwithout conductive layer located over a portion of the resistive layerof the TFR; a second insulating layer over METn; a third metalinterconnect layer METn+1 over the second insulating layer; a first VIAextending through the second insulating layer, the slot, and the firstinsulting layer to connect MET n+1 to the resistive layer of the TFR;and a second VIA extending through the second insulating layer toconnect METn+1 to METn.
 9. The device of claim 8, wherein a firstportion of the first VIA extends through the second insulating layer andis wider than a second portion of the first VIA that extends through theslot and the first insulating layer.
 10. The device of claim 8, whereinthe slot is wider than a width of the resistive layer of the TFR. 11.The device of claim 8, wherein the first VIA physically contacts aconductive portion of METn+1, a conductive portion of METn, and theresistive layer of the TFR.